Home buyers sue builders of modular home

St. Louis Daily Record & St. Louis Countian, Oct 24, 2003 by Cathy Kingsley

The third delay was when Nolan threw out the people building the deck, saying he wanted to build his own deck.

We were within a week of being done, Mongie said. A week later was the final inspection.

They had their own contractors come in and even modified the home while we were doing construction, he said.

But there were other problems with the home, according to the Daughertys. The kitchen cabinets and countertop were missing, the garbage disposal was on the wrong side of the sink, trim work was missing, the windows did not close properly, the stairs were not carpeted, appliances were not set up to use, wiring was hanging down, and there was no electricity.

There were other problems, but these were the more serious ones, said Eric Tolen, the Daugherty's attorney.

Hytek President Mongie said out of 26 points they brought up in the lawsuit, only two items were valid: a bent screen and a piece of trim that had been cracked.

The whole time we were trying to make them happy, Mongie said. He [Nolan] caused his own delay. He's a difficult man to work with. He doesn't communicate with me. He's not someone that I could please.

The Daughtertys, who have their own business in House Springs, have no plans to move into the house at this point.

It's frustrating. A brand-new house, and all I can do is look at it, Rita said.

Mongie said he does not know what will happen to the home and will wait to see what the court decides.